DYNAMIC IMPREGNATION OF SILICA STATIONARY PHASES FOR THE ARGENTATION CHROMATOGRAPHY OF LIPIDS

Homogeneous silver-impregnated thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) plates were obtained in a dynamic manner by chromatographing an acetonitrile solution of silver nitrate on ready-made silica TLC plates. Plates obtained in this manner are very reproducible. Separations according to the number of double bonds in the individual triglycerides on dynamically impregnated plates are equal to or better than those obtained on silver nitrate TLC plates prepared in the conventional manner. The plates are easier to handle, and savings in silver nitrate result in comparison with the dipping procedure. It is possible to impregnate a plate simultaneously with both phloxin and silver in one run, the immobilized phloxin then serving as a fluorescence detection agent for a subsequent triglyceride separation and for semi-quantitative densitometry. Silica high-performance liquid chromatographic columns can also be impregnated with silver nitrate in a similar dynamic manner. © 1990.